Rainbow swirl cupcakes

This rainbow cupcake recipe is sure to make anyone smile! They are so cute, bright and festive. They would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, a birthday party or even an end of the school year party. Okay let’s be honest… they’d be perfect any day of the week. ;)

These rainbow cupcakes were so easy to make (I used a box of cake mix…shhh) and they tasted fabulous. People ask me all the time if I always bake from scratch and I tell them that I’m all about doctoring up cake mixes, especially when I’m baking with kids. It just simplifies things sometimes.

My kids were obsessed with these rainbow decorated cupcakes and are already begging to make them again. They sort of remind me of tie-dying shirts (or scrunchies)…which was pretty much my favorite thing to do when I was younger. So fun and colorful!

How to make rainbow cupcakes

Scroll down for the printable rainbow cupcake recipe.

Preheat oven to 325°F and line cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.

Add cake mix and dry pudding mix to a large bowl and stir until combined. Then mix in eggs, canola oil and water and stir. Finally, mix in sour cream.

Separate batter into 5 bowls, then add different colors of food coloring to each. Stir each bowl until smooth.

Add one spoonful (about 1 Tablespoon) of each color to cupcake liners and fill about 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow rainbow cupcakes to cool on cooling rack. Frost once cooled. Enjoy!

How to decorate rainbow cupcakes

If you’re wondering how to decorate rainbow cupcakes, I’ve got you covered! Check out a few of my favorite decorations below. You could even play around with the cupcake batter colors and only use 2 or 3 of your favorites instead of 5!

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and dry pudding mix. Stir until combined. Next mix in the eggs, canola oil and water. Finally mix in the sour cream.

Separate batter into 5 bowls. Add different colors of food coloring to each bowl and stir until smooth. Add one spoonful (about 1 Tablespoon) of each color to your cupcake liner (about 3/4 the way full).

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they spring back when touched. Do not over cook. You can also test with a tooth pick to make sure the centers are cooked all the way through.

Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack. Frost with buttercream frosting.